A doubly charged ion is accelerated to an energy of 33.0 keV by the electric field between two parallel conducting plates separated by 1.70 cm. What is the electric field strength between the plates?
What's the answer?
To find the electric field strength between the plates, we can use the formula for the electric potential difference.
The electric potential difference (V) between two points is given by the equation:
V = Ed
Where V is the potential difference, E is the electric field strength, and d is the distance between the two points.
In this case, we are given the potential difference (V = 33.0 keV) and the distance (d = 1.70 cm).
First, we need to convert the potential difference from kiloelectron volts (keV) to volts. Since 1 eV = 1.60 x 10^-19 C and 1 keV = 1000 eV, we have:
V = (33.0 keV) * (1000 eV/keV) * (1.60 x 10^-19 C/eV)
Calculating this expression gives us the potential difference V in volts.
Next, we can rearrange the formula to isolate the electric field strength (E):
E = V/d
Substituting the values of the potential difference (V) and distance (d) into the equation, we can find the electric field strength (E).